A Tumultuous and Eccentric Life

While this is a through and mostly enjoyable biography, some folks—especially in these parts—might take exception to the book’s title; Cosimo Matassa had a studio on Rampart Street up and running several years before Phillips made his initial mark in the music business. People with merely a passing interest in music are aware that Sam Phillips’ claim to fame was “discovering” Elvis Presley in Memphis in 1954. While some may credit Phillips’ success with being in the right place at the right time, it was a result of guile, candor and a shrewd knack for speculation. A larger-than-life character, Phillips regularly went against the grain. Not only was he one of the first music men to embrace and promote black music, he discovered dirt-poor country singers whose records would transform pop culture. Phillips’ other business ventures included owning several radio stations, being an original investor in the Holiday Inn chain and partnering in several oil wells. Extraordinarily, he also owned a lead and zinc mine. Guralnick already recounted Elvis’s early involvement with Phillips in the brilliant read Last Train To Memphis, but he also details Phillips’ involvements with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins—among others—here. Phillips led a tumultuous and eccentric life (especially in his later years) and was often vain beyond belief. But he very much was a transformational figure in American music. That he was one of the earliest inductees into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame underlines that fact. A comprehensive read that comes highly recommended.